Event Detail

Small Biz Expo

Start Date/Time:

Thursday, May 23, 2013 2:00 PM

End Date/Time:

Thursday, May 23, 2013 5:00 PM

Recurring Event:

One time event

Importance:

Normal Priority

Description:

2013 Small Biz Expo coming May 23Free public event to include economic forecast, lenders’ panel, and resource fairThere’s nothing small about the collective impact of Denver’s entrepreneurs, as 90 percent of the city’s business sector are employers with fewer than 25 employees. To celebrate this impact and mark the local observance of National Small Business Week, the Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) is planning a Small Biz Expo on Thursday, May 23, 2013.
“From pricing, marketing, financing, operations, or materials, we know that nothing is very easy when you’re running a small business,” said Paul Washington, executive director of the OED. “We’ve put together an afternoon that we hope is a productive use of a business owner’s valuable time.”
The Small Biz Expo will include:

A special Denver Economic Forecast (2–2:45 p.m.) with the latest news on real estate, construction activity, employment, retail, and other factors expected to affect area small businesses in the months ahead.

A lenders’ panel (3–3:45 p.m.) will bring together various public, private and nonprofit financing options to advise existing and aspiring entrepreneurs on landing the dollars they need to keep going.

A resource fair (2–5 p.m.) throughout the afternoon will include representatives from a wide array of public and nonprofit organizations who offer small business-building services.

The event will take place, at the Denver Central Library, B2 Conference Center, 10 W. 14th Ave. Attendees are advised to use the library’s west entrance. Reservations are not required and there is no cost.
Small business advocacy is a primary business development focus in OED’s JumpStart 2013 Strategic Plan, complemented with business recruitment and retention. More details on OED’s objectives around this and other initiatives, including workforce development as well as lending and investment, can be found at http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/690/documents/New/OED%20JumpStart%202013%20for%20web.pdf.